


But For The Fall

by memoryofyou



Series: The Alpha Dawn Series [2]
Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-21
Updated: 2017-03-07
Packaged: 2018-09-26 03:02:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9859226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/memoryofyou/pseuds/memoryofyou
Summary: After saving Jyn Erso, Han's smuggler friend is called on for help once again from the Alliance.





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> Here is part two! This takes place between Episodes IV and V, and has a lot more Cassian/Reader interaction than the first one.

“Y/N.” A familiar voice greeted, and Y/N fought the urge to roll her eyes.

“Not again, Andor.” Y/N replied, turning her barstool around to face Cassian Andor. Standing next to him, however, was another familiar face.

“Jyn!” Y/N exclaimed, a genuine smile on her face as she hugged the other woman. It had been several months since her trip to Margravia to rescue the rebel leader. They had bonded quickly in the short time they had been together on the _Alpha Dawn_ , and had even exchanged a few quick communications when distance and rebel security allowed it.

“Hello, Y/N.” Jyn replied, returning the hug.

“What are you doing here?” Y/N asked.

“Can we talk somewhere in private?” Jyn asked, which confirmed Y/N’s suspicions that this visit was anything but friendly.

“Sure.” Y/N replied, and turned to pay her tab before exiting the dive bar and heading toward the docking bay where her ship was waiting. Once they were inside the tiny kitchen of the _Alpha Dawn_ , Y/N leaned against a counter and crossed her arms across her chest.

“I’m not rescuing some wayward rebel again, Andor.”

“That is not why we’re here, Y/N.” Cassian replied.

“The Empire knows where we are. Yavin IV isn’t safe - hasn’t been for a while. But we lost a lot of fighters, specifically pilots, in the battle against the Death Star. We simply don’t have the manpower and ships necessary to successfully scout for a new base. We need pilots capable of getting in and out of systems without arousing Imperial suspicion.” Jyn explained.

“So you want me to, what, go on a sightseeing tour of the Outer Rim?” Y/N asked with a raised eyebrow.

“We’ve narrowed the possibilities down to a handful of options, but we are still short on manpower. The fighters we have, we need to defend Yavin IV from Imperial attacks. Thankfully, they’ve been kept too busy by uprisings throughout the galaxy to launch a full-scale attack against us. But that won’t last.” Cassian replied, and Y/N fought against the urge to turn them down outright.

“I’m not a rebel. I don’t believe in giving all for the so-called ‘greater good.’ This is not my fight.”

“I used to think the same thing.” Jyn replied, standing up to pace the small room. Y/N didn’t miss the slight limp she walked with, a memento from her time on Margravia. Y/N didn’t want to think about the other scars Jyn probably had - that they all probably had - in the name of the rebellion.

“The Empire took everything from me.” Jyn continued. “My home, my parents, my childhood. I just wanted to keep my head down, get along as best I could without getting involved.”

“Sounds like it was a good plan to me.” Y/N replied.

“It wasn’t real. It wasn’t sustainable. It was my father’s dying wish that I bring the Death Star plans to the Alliance, that I find a way to stop them. So I did, and in doing so I found my purpose.”

“Jyn…” Y/N began, but Cassian interrupted her.

“Y/N, we are not asking you to join us. We are simply asking for you to help us, because we know that deep down you hate the Empire as much as we do.”

“Of course I hate the Empire!” Y/N snapped, rolling her eyes. “But that doesn’t mean that I want to die fighting them.”

“I told you this was a waste of time, Jyn.” Cassian snarled, grabbing his partner by the arm. “Let’s go.”

Y/N watched as they made their way toward the exit hatch and rolled her eyes.

“Oh come on, Andor. No need to be so dramatic. I’ll help.” Y/N called out, and watched as the two rebels stopped in their tracks.

“Told you.” Y/N heard Jyn murmur to Cassian before the other woman turned to face Y/N. “See you on Yavin.”


	2. Part Two

By the time Y/N had wrapped up her dealings on Vostriq, Jyn and Cassian were long gone. She punched in the coordinates for Yavin and set the ship on autopilot once she left realspace. Checking her supplies as a way to keep busy, she tried not to think about why she had let herself be so easily convinced to join in the Alliance’s problems once again. This time, she wasn’t even getting paid. 

 

As the ship alerted her that she was nearing the Yavin system, she found that it was too late to change her mind. Once she left hyperspace, she was almost immediately greeted by one of the stern voices of the rebel’s communications team.

 

“This is the  _ Alpha Dawn _ requesting permission to land. Transmitting clearance codes now.” Y/N replied to the harsh request for passcodes. A few tense moments passed - her codes were older, and she wasn’t sure if they would give her time to contact Jyn or Cassian before trying to blow her out of the sky.

 

“You’re cleared to land on landing pad eight. Welcome home,  _ Alpha Dawn _ .”

 

Y/N raised her brow at their standard greeting, but guided her ship into Yavin IV’s orbit and finally to the assigned landing pad. She was surprised to find Cassian waiting alone for her, watching her as she hopped down off of the exit hatch. 

 

“Where’s your better half, Andor?” Y/N asked, swinging her bag over her shoulder as she stepped up to him. She watched as Cassian rolled his eyes before cocking his head back toward the entrance to the base.

 

“She’s in a conference with the rest of the Council, assigning scouting missions to the remaining pilots.”

 

“You’re not a member of the Council?” Y/N asked curiously, and Cassian shook his head.

 

“I committed treason by going on the mission to retrieve the Death Star plans. They couldn’t exactly honor that action by promoting me.”

 

“Jyn went on the mission too, though.”

 

“Jyn wasn’t a member of the rebellion until after the Battle of Scarif.”

 

“Seems like Imperial-level bureaucratic bullshit to me.” Y/N replied, and was surprised that Cassian actually chuckled at that as they moved down the busy halls of the base.

 

“I am happy not to be a member of the Council.” Cassian replied, opening the door to one of the many small rec rooms that dotted the base. “I am more useful where I am.”

 

“Y/N!” Another familiar voice greeted, and Y/N saw Han sitting at a small table with Chewie and Luke Skywalker. 

 

“So, you’re still here, huh?” Y/N asked as she took the empty seat next to Han. Chewie growled a greeting and Y/N sent the Wookie a wide smile.

 

“They haven’t kicked me out yet.” Han replied smugly. “You’ve met Luke, right?” He added, gesturing to the blonde man sitting next to Cassian. 

 

“Not officially, he was too occupied with welcoming Jyn home at the time.” Y/N replied, smiling as she saw Jyn’s boyfriend’s cheeks grow red. “Y/N Y/L/N” She said, extending her hand to Luke. 

 

“Luke Skywalker.”

 

“Of course, everyone knows you. The Savior of the Rebellion and all that.” Y/N watched as Luke shook his head and shrugged off the title, and she decided immediately that she liked the kid. 

 

“Hey, I was there too, ya know?” Han responded.

 

“Yes, and you have the shiny medal to prove it.” Jyn interjected, forcing herself into the small space between Luke and Cassian.

 

“How was your meeting?” Luke asked, and Jyn nodded enthusiastically.

 

“It went well, we should be ready to leave the base in about a week or two.” Jyn replied. “We’ll be ready to send the scout ships out first thing in the morning.”

 

Y/N perked up at that, ready to finish her favor to the rebels and get back on her way. 

 

“Any idea where I’m going?”

 

“Sorry, need to know.” Jyn replied, shaking her head. “You and Cassian will be getting the coordinates once you’re in the air.”

 

“Wait, me and Cassian?” Y/N asked, giving Jyn and Cassian a confused stare. “Isn’t Cassian a pilot? Why isn’t he going on a scouting mission? One that isn’t  _ mine _ ?”

 

“I...may have had an incident during our last mission.” Jyn replied.

 

“She crashed Cass’ U-Wing into the swamps of Anthea after he was injured and couldn’t fly it himself.” A new voice interjected, and Y/N looked up to see a tall, skinny young man with long, scraggly dark hair and large, expressive eyes. He took the empty seat on the other side of Han and extended his hand. “Bodhi Rook.” He introduced, and Y/N shook his hand.

 

“Y/N Y/L/N.” She responded. “You’re one of the Rogues, right?”

 

“I’m the pilot.” Bodhi responded with a smile that Y/N returned. 

 

“Where are the others?” Y/N asked.

 

“Baze and Chirrut are on a mission, they should be back in time to help with the evacuation.” Jyn responded. 

 

“So that only leaves…” Y/N trailed off, just in time for the rebels to stand at attention. Y/N looked over shoulder and found herself looking at a young woman who could only be.

 

“Your Royalness.” Han greeted, and Y/N watched as Leia playfully rolled her eyes. 

 

“Hi Leia.” Luke greeted, pulling the woman into a quick hug before giving her a seat next to him.

 

“You must be the smuggler we’ve heard so much about.” Leia greeted.

 

“That’s me.” Y/N responded. She didn’t miss the completely unsubtle shift as Han draped an arm along the back of her seat, nor the sudden fire in the princess’ eyes at the move. 

 

“My condolences on the loss of your planet, Your Highness.” Y/N said, hoping to distract the royal from whatever game Han had decided to start playing. “I traveled to Alderaan once, it was one of the loveliest planets I’ve ever visited.”

 

“Thank you, Y/N.” Leia replied, giving her a small smile. “And thank you for agreeing to this mission.”

 

Y/N nodded her head at the princess, and from there the conversation descended into something decidedly more jovial, the rebels clearly basking in the rare chance to simply relax and enjoy their time together. Y/N sat back in silence for the most part, struck by the clear bond they all shared - particularly, Han, Leia, and Luke, which was something she was going to have to ask her old friend about at some point. They were clearly a good influence on Han, a steadying one in fact. Even Chewie seemed at ease with them, having apparently adopted the two as belonging to him in the same way that Han was the Wookie’s responsibility.

 

By the time the evening meal rolled around, Y/N found herself growing weary of being surrounded by so many people. She typically worked alone, and spent much of her time in solitude. To suddenly be surrounded by so many people - even people she admitted to liking - was proving exhausting. Gathering up her things, she said her goodbyes, Cassian hot on her heels as the one who volunteered to show her to her temporary quarters.

 

“I can just sleep on my ship, Andor.” Y/N argued as he led her down the halls toward the barracks. “I do it every night.”

 

“The princess ordered that rooms be set aside for you and the other scouts, even on a temporary basis.” Cassian replied before his face grew grim. “And...we have the room.”

“Okay.” Y/N replied softly, realizing that this was something important to Cassian and Leia, and probably the others.She followed him in silence, until they reached a nondescript door in the middle of a nondescript hallway. 

 

“I’ll never find my way back.” Y/N joked, and Cassian turned and pointed to the door directly across the hall.

 

“That’s mine.” He replied. “When you’re ready in the morning, just knock and we can go down to the mess hall together.”

 

Y/N nodded and turned back to her own door, entering the access code Cassian had given her. The door opened with a quick ‘swoosh’ and Y/N turned back to Cassian. 

 

“So, I’ll see you in the morning, I guess.”

 

“Goodnight, Y/N.” Cassian replied. “And thank you.”

 

“You all really need to stop with the thanking every five minutes, you’re going to give me a complex.” Y/N said, earning another chuckle from Cassian.

 

“I’m fairly sure you already have one.” Cassian teased, and Y/N leaned against her doorway with a fake-offended look of shock on her face.

 

“Why, Cassian Andor, I am positively wounded!” Y/N exclaimed.

 

“Something tells me you’ll get over it quickly enough.” Cassian replied, moving toward his own quarters. “Goodnight, Y/N.”

  
“Goodnight.” Y/N said quietly before moving into her temporary rooms and shutting the door behind her. 


	3. Part Three

Early the next morning, Y/N and Cassian were quickly loading the necessary supplies onto the  _ Alpha Dawn _ and preparing to leave. Bodhi was helping them with last-minute checks, and Y/N found herself watching the pilot out of the corner of her eye, uneasy at the thought of someone else messing with her ship. 

 

“You look good to go.” Bodhi finally said, and Cassian said his thanks as he loaded the last crate of sensors onto the ship. Bodhi smiled and waved as he backed up. “May the Force be with you!” He added before turning and jogging off of the landing pad and back into the temple. 

 

“He’s an odd one.” Y/N remarked as she closed the entrance hatch and sealed the airlock.

“Bodhi has been through a lot.” Cassian replied, slipping into the co-pilot’s seat and beginning the pre-flight checks. 

 

“He’s sweet, though.” Y/N replied, and Cassian looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

 

“What?” She asked, but Cassian just shook his head and continued the checks while Y/N began to enter the hyperspace calculations. Apparently, they were headed to a planet called Hoth, in a remote system she’d never heard of. Finishing the calculations, she radioed the communications tower for clearance to leave. Once they were clear of Yavin IV, Y/N sent them into hyperspace for the four-hour journey to Hoth. 

 

“Any idea about what we’re heading into?” Y/N asked, turning to face Cassian.

 

“Hoth is uninhabited, an ice planet. That’s all I know.”

 

“An ice planet, fantastic. You guys always give me the  _ best  _ missions.” Y/N replied, and Cassian chuckled.

 

“Only the best for you, Y/N.”

 

As they entered the Hoth system, Y/N brought them out of hyperspace and soon a glimpse of the solidly-white planet filled their view. 

 

“Well, that looks positively inviting.” Y/N muttered, guiding the ship into orbit while they began their initial scans. 

 

“A seemingly-inhospitable planet will be the last place the Empire will look.” Cassian replied. 

 

“They won’t have to bother if you all freeze to death.” 

 

“Getting readings on some lifeforms.” Cassian replied, ignoring Y/N’s comment. 

 

“Something actually  _ lives _ down there?”

 

“Apparently. Very little planet life, but a few animals from the looks of things.”

 

“That means we’re going down there, doesn’t it?” Y/N asked, a look of painful resignation on her face. Cassian gave her a silent stare in response, until she sighed and began their descent toward the planet’s surface. Almost as soon as they broke through the planet’s atmosphere the ship began to shake, jerking from one side to the next as snow flurries impeded their view. 

 

“Looks like some kind of planet-wide snowstorm.” Y/N said as she began to flip various switches in an attempt to get a reading on what was in front of them. 

 

“Can you pull us up?”

 

“No, if I try to break orbit, I don’t know if I’ll have enough fuel to do it twice. Then after we try to get down here again we’ll be stuck in ice hell.”

 

“If you don’t, we’ll be stuck here anyway!” Cassian argued, and Y/N rolled her eyes as the ship lurched to the right. 

 

“I have a bad feeling about this.” Y/N muttered, moving to send the ship back into orbit. As she was about to pull the throttle up the entire ship shook as something large and solid plowed into the side. The force of the impact was enough to send Y/N sailing headfirst into the panel next to her head. Y/N’s vision swam as she felt the slow trickle of blood down her face almost immediately. She struggled to shake the dizziness off as she attempted to regain control of the ship.

 

“Engines aren’t responding!” Y/N yelled to Cassian. “Send out the distress call.”

 

“Whatever that was knocked out communications as well.” Cassian replied, and Y/N cursed.

 

“Preparing for emergency landing.” Y/N said, reaching over to tighten Cassian’s restraint before doing the same to her own. It was still impossible to see the ground, but the remaining sensors the ship had said that they were close. “We’re going in hot.” She fought with the throttle in an attempt to set them down as easy as possible, pulling the nose of the  _ Alpha Dawn _ up as high as she could.

 

“Brace for impact!” She yelled as the sensors went crazy, finally sensing the ground below.

  
She had just enough time before the impact to glance over at Cassian, who was staring forward, a determined look in his eyes. Then, she had a split second to register the crunch of metal as they hit the ground before everything went black.


	4. Part Four

As Y/N drifted back to consciousness, the first thing she registered was the pounding in her head and the heavy weight on her chest. As she struggled to open her eyes, she found her vision swam red - blood from her head wound, she reasoned. She groaned as pain began to radiate throughout her body. She attempted to move her arm up to wipe the blood from her face when she found that it was pinned down by a piece of the ship. Turning her head, she found it wedged between her chair and a chunk of the console that had come loose. A long, wide shard had pierced her shoulder, though it seemed to Y/N that it hadn’t gone all the way through. She pushed back against her chair as she used her free hand to push the console back enough to free her shoulder. Once her injured shoulder was free, however, the wound was now able to bleed freely, pouring down her jacket. 

 

“Shit.” Y/N murmured, choosing to ignore the injury for the moment in order to focus on freeing her legs. Pushing herself out of the chair, she eventually slid off and fell to her knees in the mangled cockpit. 

 

Finally free, Y/N looked over to the co-pilot’s seat, finding Cassian unconscious. 

 

“Cassian…” Y/N called out, crawling over to where he was pinned down by the console.

 

“Cass…” Y/N tried again, grabbing the man’s face in her hands in an attempt to rouse him back to consciousness. She scanned him quickly, finding no obvious injuries other than being trapped.

 

“Andor, wake up soldier!” Y/N finally yelled, holding his face in one hand while slapping him with the other. Cassian began to stir, and Y/N sighed with relief. 

 

“Y/N?” Cassian asked groggily, clearly still out of it.

 

“Yes, it’s me.”

 

“What happened?”

 

“We crashed in the storm. You’re stuck and I need your help to get you out.”

 

This seemed to get the rebel’s attention, and soon he seemed to be much more aware of his surroundings. 

 

“Attaboy, Andor.” Y/N said with a smile. “I need you to push the console up and I’ll try to pull your legs out.”

 

Cassian nodded and began to push on the console, to little effect. After a few minutes of trying, Y/N sighed and wedged herself between Cassian’s legs and the console, pushing with her injured shoulder as Cassian also pushed with his arms. Y/N bit her lip to keep from crying out in pain, but the added help proved to be the key in getting Cassian’s legs free. He slipped out of the chair and Y/N let the console go, falling back to the floor of the cockpit and breathing deeply in an attempt to stem the pain.

 

“Your shoulder…” Cassian began, but Y/N waved him off. 

 

“Later. We have more important things to focus on, like the storm that knocked us on our ass and getting word out to the Alliance that we need a rescue.”

 

“Communications?” Cassian asked, and Y/N shook her head.

 

“The comms system is what did this to my shoulder, I think.”

 

“Jyn and Leia knew where we were going, once they realize we haven’t checked in they’ll send a rescue.”

 

“In the meantime, we need to set up some kind of shelter. If anything’s left of the environmental systems, it won’t last for long. A rescue won’t mean much if we freeze to death first.”

 

Cassian nodded and wound his arm under Y/N’s shoulders, helping her to her feet and down into the galley of the ship. The rest of the ship didn’t seem to have taken as much of a hit as the front, but Y/N could still feel the cold air of Hoth seeping in through the large cracks in the hull. It was going to get cold, and it was going to get cold  _ quickly _ .

 

Y/N took the heavy jacket and goggles that Cassian offered her, but found her right hand was unable to grip anything and they both fell to the floor. Cassian’s stare bored into her and she sighed and nodded when he went to open the first aid kit. She pulled off her bloody jacket and shirt, both now useless. She sat down in a nearby chair and let Cassian inspect her shoulder, which was still bleeding steadily. 

 

“It didn’t go all the way through.” Cassian stated, cleaning the wound as much as he could. “I cannot tell if there is anything left inside.”

 

“Just stitch me up, Andor. We’ll worry about the rest once we’re back on Yavin.”

 

“Do you have any bacta patches?” He asked, and Y/N shook her head.

 

“I used the last one one Jyn’s leg after Margravia. Haven’t had the funds to stock up again.”

 

Cassian nodded and continued to clean the wound, placing a bandage over it once the bleeding had slowed. Satisfied, he stepped back and Y/N retrieved another shirt from what remained of her private quarters before grabbing the jacket and goggles she had dropped, as well as a set of binoculars.

 

“I’m going to have a look outside.” Y/N stated, forcing one of the emergency hatches open. It seemed as if the storm had subsided, which made Y/N wonder how long they had both been out. If she had thought that it was cold inside the ship, nothing could have prepared her for the outside. She pulled the hood of her jacket tighter, struggling up the embankment that had been made by the ship crashing. When she finally made it to the top, she scanned the area, finding few signs of life but what looked to be a massive cave nearby. She recorded the telemetry to show the rebels later - no use in the mission being a  _ complete _ disaster, after all. 

 

It only took a few minutes for the cold to become unbearable, and soon Y/N was pulling the hatch closed, trying to preserve what little heat they had left. 

 

“Anything?” Cassian asked as she entered, various items scattered around him on the floor as he hung what looked like the sheets from her quarters along the ceiling, creating a much smaller space to heat.

 

“Not much. A promising cave about two clicks away. Could be worth exploring if, you know, we weren’t going to have to struggle to survive.”

 

Cassian chuckled and waved Y/N over to his makeshift tent. “And the ship?” He asked, and Y/N shook her head.

 

“Dead in the water. The nose and cockpit are completely shot. Even if by some miracle the engine could be repaired, she’s not spaceworthy. We’d explode before breaking atmo.”

 

“I’m sorry.” Cassian replied, and Y/N sighed, rubbing her hands together to try to warm them up.

  
“The alliance owes me a new ship, Andor.”


	5. Part Five

Days seemed to stretch much longer on Hoth than the Galactic Standard, and by the time the sun finally started to set on their second day, they had lost what little power had remained in the emergency reserves. Cassian had finished setting up their makeshift tent, gathering what he could find that could be safely burned for heat. Y/N pulled every blanket and jacket she could find into the tent, praying to the Force or whatever was in charge of the universe that the rebels would come looking for them sooner rather than later. 

 

Once Cassian had a small fire going, he moved toward Y/N and gestured at her shoulder.

 

“It’s fine, Andor.”

 

“Let me be the judge of that.” He replied, squatting down next to her and pushing her jacket away from her shoulder. Immediately, Y/N could see the blood that had seeped through the bandage and onto her shirt. She hissed as Cassian pulled her shirt off, and again when he attempted to slowly peel away the bandage.

 

“Couldn’t wait to get my top off again, huh, Andor?” Y/N joked, getting an eye roll from Cassian in response.

 

“We need to find some way to close the wound.” Cassian replied. “If not, you will bleed out before we can be rescued.”

 

“It might be a better way to go than freezing to death.” Y/N argued.

 

“We’re not going to freeze to death.” Cassian argued, but even he sounded less sure as the hours and days dragged on.

 

“Cauterize it.” Y/N said after mulling over the few options they had for stopping the bleeding. She pulled her favorite knife out of its hiding place on her ankle and handed it to Cassian, nodding at the fire. “It’s the only option.”

 

Cassian looked as if he wanted to argue with Y/N, but after a moment he took the knife and carried it over to the fire. Y/N watched as he cleaned the blade as best he could then stuck it into the fire. Once it was glowing red, Cassian brought it back over to where Y/N had sprawled herself against a pile of blankets. She eyed the blade warily, but turned her shoulder to Cassian.

 

“Here.” Cassian said, untying a piece of leather that had been wrapped around his wrist and handing it to her. “Bite down on this.” Y/N nodded and folded the worn leather over and stuck it between her teeth. 

 

“This is going to hurt.” Cassian warned, and Y/N simply nodded in response. Y/N groaned as the hot metal seared her skin, the pain radiating from her shoulder down through her arm and out across her chest. The feeling seemed to drag on forever, but eventually she felt Cassian pull the blade away, setting it aside and getting to work covering the wound once again. Y/N let him help her back into her shirt and jacket.

 

“How long until we’re late for check-in?” Y/N asked.

 

“We were supposed to check in after leaving the system, and they gave us two days to observe the planet. So, it will be at least one more day before they realize that something is wrong.”

 

“Great. This is the last time I do a favor for you, Andor.” Y/N replied with a smirk.

 

“So, it was a favor for me, and not the Alliance?” Cassian asked, and Y/N turned her head to look over at Cassian.

 

“You know what I mean.”

 

“Of course.”

 

“God, you’re infuriating. I don’t know how Jyn hasn’t thrown you out of an airlock yet.”

 

“You’re not exactly a barrel of laughs either.” Cassian replied.

 

“Excuse me, Andor, I am an absolute joy. A fantastic pilot…”

 

“You  _ did  _ crash us into an ice planet.”

 

“That was  _ not _ my fault!”

 

“Of course.”

 

“Jyn crashed you into a jungle, but I don’t see you blaming  _ her  _ for losing  _ your  _ ship.”

 

“You were not there for that conversation.”

 

“You’re still playing favorites.”

 

Cassian rolled his eyes and huffed loudly at that, but Y/N could see the hint of a smile on his face. They fell into a comfortable silence, the wind outside and the burning fire the only noise. Despite the fact that she was several feet from the small fire, after a few hours Y/N felt herself sweating underneath her heavy coat, and pushed herself up off of her cot enough to shrug it off.

 

“What are you doing?” Cassian asked from his place across the tent.

 

“I’m hot.” Y/N replied, throwing the jacket down near here after struggling to get her injured arm out of the sleeve.

 

Without a word, Cassian stood up and crossed over to Y/N’s side of their makeshift tent, grasping her arm and pressing his hand to her forehead with his free hand.

 

“What are you doing, Andor?” Y/N asked, trying to pull away.

 

“You’re running a fever.” Cassian replied gravely. “You must have an infection from your injury.”

 

Y/N watched as Cassian pushed her shirt aside, peeling away the bandage covering her shoulder. Y/N didn’t miss the gasp when he moved the bandage away, and she followed his gaze before she could stop herself, groaning at the obvious growing infection underneath the skin.

  
“ _ Fantastic _ .” Y/N said, before passing out in Cassian’s arms.


	6. Part Six

Time blurred for Y/N as the fever raged through her. She remembered bits and pieces, mostly Cassian as he tended to her, trying anything he could to slow the infection and lower the fever. Finally, she fell into a fitful sleep as her fever lowered enough to allow her to rest. When she awoke a few hours later, she still felt lethargic and groggy, but was aware enough to register Cassian hunched over next to her, bundled up under a jacket and several blankets.

“Andor…” Y/N whispered, and the man was immediately alert, leaning over and testing her temperature with his hand.

“You’re still running a fever.” He said.

“You look exhausted.” Y/N replied, and Cassian waved her off. “How long have I been out?”

“The better part of a day.” Cassian replied. “Jyn will have known that something is wrong by now. It shouldn’t be too much longer before they come looking for us.”

“At least they’ll find you.” Y/N replied, turning away from Cassian’s gaze.

“Hey, do  _ not _ talk like that.” Cassian said fiercely, grabbing Y/N’s hand. “We both know you are far too stubborn to die on an icy hellhole of a planet, stabbed in the shoulder by your own ship.”

Y/N chuckled weakly at that, squeezing Cassian’s hand as a coughing fit wracked her body. Once it passed she leaned back onto the pillow underneath her head, refusing to let go of Cassian.

“You’re a good man, Cassian.”

“That’s the first time you haven’t called me Andor.”

“Well, I guess I’m getting weak on my deathbed.”

“You’re not dying, Y/N. I fully expect you to annoy me for many years to come.”

 

“What makes you so sure I’m going to stick around if we do make it out of here?”

 

“Because you’re a rebel, even if you don’t want to admit it. You are one of us.” Cassian replied.

 

“You sure are confident, Cassian Andor.”

 

“I do not have faith in many things, Y/N, but I have faith in you.”

 

Y/N would later blame the fever, but she couldn’t resist the urge to pull the hand she had been holding up to her lips, giving it a gentle kiss before pulling it against her chest as she faded into unconsciousness once again. 

 

The next thing Y/N remembered was the sound of the emergency hatch opening, and unfamiliar voices filling the ship. 

 

“Baze, Chirrut!” Cassian called out. “We’re over here.”

 

“We were on our way back to Yavin when Jyn sent us the message and had us reroute to come and find you.” One of the voices greeted, though Y/N couldn’t find the strength to open her eyes to see who it was.

 

“This one is injured.” Another, gruffer, voice said, closer to her.

 

“She has an infection in her blood.” Cassian replied. “We have to get her back to Yavin.”

 

Y/N felt two large arms slip underneath her, and she groaned in pain as someone lifted her off of the floor. 

 

“It’s okay, Y/N.” Cassian soothed, pushing her hair back from her face. “We’re going home, you’re going to be fine.”

 

“Cass…” Y/N managed weakly, trying her hardest to reach out for him but failing. 

 

“I’m here, Y/N. Everything is going to be alright. Just rest. Be careful with her, Baze.”

 

Time blurred for her once again as they exited the remains of her ship, followed by flashes of traveling home. Time moved even slower in the bacta tank, though she could occasionally make out familiar shapes outside of the tank. Han. Jyn. Cassian. Even Chewie stood guard at one point, her rebel friends never leaving her alone. Eventually, they pulled her out of the bacta tank and put her in a regular bed, though for the most part they kept her sedated. As they slowly weaned her off of the meds, she began to register her surroundings again, including her regular stream of visitors. However many days later, she finally felt able to open her eyes and looked over to see Han sitting in the chair next to her bed.

 

“Hey Solo.” Y/N greeted, smiling weakly as Han looked over at her.

 

“Hey kid.” Han replied, leaning toward her. “You gave us quite the scare.”

 

“Well, you know me, I always had a flair for the dramatic.”

 

“That you did.” Han replied.

 

“How long was I out?”

 

“Two weeks.”

 

“Kriff.” Y/N groaned. “My ship?”

 

“We had to leave her behind, I’m sorry Y/N.” 

 

“I figured as much. She was a good ship.”

 

“That she was. Almost a match for the  _ Falcon _ .”

 

“I would have had you on the Kessel Run if you hadn’t played dirty.”

 

“You are obviously still delirious with fever.” Han replied, and Y/N wished she had the strength to throw something at her old friend.

 

“Are you antagonizing the patient?” A new voice asked, and Y/N looked up to see Princess Leia standing in the doorway.

 

“I am simply welcoming my friend back to the land of the living.” Han replied, standing to greet the princess. 

 

“And we are glad that she is back.” Leia replied, coming to stand on the other side of the bed. “I’m grateful to see that you’re recovering, Y/N.”

 

“Glad to be back, Your Highness.”

 

“You almost died for the rebellion, I’m fairly sure you can call me Leia.”

 

“Okay, Leia.” Y/N replied. 

 

“Cassian will be glad to know that you’re awake. He’s been a constant visitor to the medical bay these past two weeks.”

 

“Was he okay?” Y/N asked, worry creeping into her voice.

 

“He’s fine. Worried about you, but fine.” Leia replied, placing a hand on Y/N’s uninjured shoulder. “I want to thank you for what you did. Because of you, we will soon have a new base to call home.”

 

“Let me guess, you’re going with the frozen wasteland that almost killed me?”

 

Leia chuckled and shook her head, but before she could reply a new body appeared in the doorway, panting hard as if he had run here from wherever he had been.

 

“Y/N…” Cassian greeted, and Leia squeezed Y/N’s shoulder before locking eyes with Han.

 

“We’ll leave you alone. I hope to see you back on your feet soon, Y/N.” Leia said.

 

“Thank you, Leia. Han.” Y/N replied, watching as they slipped past Cassian, who was still frozen in the doorway.

 

“Well, are you just going to stand there or are you going to help me sit up?” Y/N asked, which seemed to spur Cassian into action. He moved into the room and fiddle with the controls of the bed until she was sitting more comfortably.

 

“I am glad you are awake.” Cassian said once she had settled into her new position.

 

“I’m glad to be awake.” Y/N replied, staring at her hands as she struggled to find the words she wanted to say. Finally, she sighed and looked up at Cassian, who was watching her curiously.

 

“I don’t say this often, so...thank you, for everything. I owe you one, Andor.”

 

“And we’re back to Andor?” Cassian asked, leaning against the bed and sending her a smirk.

 

“Fine,  _ Cassian _ . Thank you,  _ Cassian _ .” Y/N said, freezing when Cassian’s hand came up to push the hair away from her face, gently running his fingers down her cheeks.

 

“You are welcome, Y/N.” Cassian replied, leaning in and placing a soft kiss on her cheek. 

 

“That...uh…”

 

“I’ll see you later, Y/L/N.” Cassian interrupted, stepping back and walking out of the room with a wave.

  
“You still owe me a ship, Andor!” Y/N called out once she recovered from her shock. She didn’t miss Cassian’s laugh that echoed down the hall.


	7. Part Seven

By the time that Y/N was cleared to leave the medical bay, the entire base had been moved from Yavin to Hoth. Considering that she no longer had a ship to call her own, she had little choice but to move with the rebellion. Despite the fact that they had modified the cave she had found to suit their needs and make them as comfortable as possible, cold permeated every inch of the new base, a stark contrast from the humid jungles of Yavin. Still, Y/N was simply grateful that she would finally be allowed to wander the base on her own two feet. 

 

As the medical droid completed the last of its scans, Y/N spotted Jyn waiting near the entrance to the new medical bay, bundled up in a heavy white coat. Still slightly unsteady on her feet, Y/N took the arm that Jyn offered as they walked out. 

 

“Hey Jyn.” Y/N greeted, doing her best not to lean on her friend too heavily.

 

“Glad to see you up and about.”

 

“Believe me, I’m glad to be out of that damn bed.”

 

“Good timing, waiting until we were completely moved. You missed all the work” Jyn joked, and Y/N elbowed her side playfully. 

 

“Any Imperial entanglements?”

 

“A few scouts spotted some ships after leaving Yavin. No doubt they know that we’re on the move, but so far it doesn’t seem like they knew where we were heading.”

 

“Even if they did, they wouldn’t want to come to this place. They’re probably hoping we all freeze to death.”

 

“The engineers are working on a better heating system, hopefully it will be a little more bearable here soon.”

 

“Bet you’re regretting all that ‘this is my purpose’ talk now.” Y/N replied with a grin. Jyn chuckled but shook her head.

 

“Never. I’ll suffer through a little cold if it means freedom for the galaxy.”

 

“Okay, poster girl.” Y/N replied. “Where are we going, anyway?”

 

“Operations. Leia and Senator Mothma want to have a word with you.”

 

“I literally  _ just _ got out of the hospital Jyn.  _ And _ my ship was recently destroyed. Surely they can’t be asking me for another favor already?”

 

“I was just told to escort you.” Jyn replied, and Y/N rolled her eyes.

 

“You’re a member of the Council, I doubt that is all you know.”

 

Jyn didn’t have time to respond, as a guard opened the doors to the rebellion’s new operations center. The room was buzzing with activity, as ships were still coming in and out of the system with supplies and personnel. Y/N spotted Leia at the center of the room, giving orders in a steady stream.

 

“Your Highness, I’ve brought Y/N.” Jyn greeted, and Leia turned her attention to them with a polite smile. 

 

“Take her to Mothma’s office, I’ll be there shortly.”

 

Y/N followed Jyn to a corner of the room, where a discreet door hissed open and let them pass. Inside was a small, clean office that was smaller than Y/N would have assumed that a Senator would have. Mothma was waiting for them in her chair, but it was the other figure in the room that caught her attention. She hadn’t seen Cassian for more than a moment in weeks, the intelligence officer too busy helping with the move to Yavin. He stood at attention as they entered, moving to Y/N’s side.

 

“How are you feeling?” He asked.

 

“Much better, thank you.” Y/N replied, her body tensing as she felt his fingers ghost along her hand.

 

“I’m glad to hear that.” Cassian replied evenly, and Y/N had to stop herself from glaring at him in front of the senator. 

 

“Miss Y/L/N, please have a seat.” Mothma greeted, gesturing to the seat that Cassian had vacated. “Commander Erso, Captain Andor, thank you for your assistance.”

 

Y/N watched as Jyn and Cassian left the office, Leia stepping in as they exited, coming to stand near Mothma’s desk. 

 

“I am glad to see you are fully recovered, Miss Y/L/N.” Mothma said, and Y/N nodded.

 

“Thank you, ma’am.”

 

“The Alliance is grateful for everything you have done in our service. You nearly gave your life to give us a new, safe home. We do not take that lightly.”

 

Y/N watched the two women and didn’t reply, waiting for them to get to whatever point they were trying to make.

 

“We know that you’ve made your position on the Alliance clear.” Leia continued, stepping closer to Y/N. “However we’re hoping that, in light of recent events, that you would reconsider joining us. Officially.”

 

“You’re offering me a commission?” Y/N asked, and she knew that the shock would be written across her face.

 

“You’ve proven yourself to be a useful ally. And, more importantly, a loyal friend to the rebellion.” Leia replied. “To be frank, we need you.”

 

Y/N looked to the ground, contemplating her options. Logically, she knew that she had few viable options. She no longer had a ship or any way to get another one, which meant that she would have to get on with another ship, and a crew she didn’t know. Also, she had found herself growing attached to the Alliance and their people, particularly in the weeks that she had been confined to her hospital bed. These were good people, and people that she could help. For the first time in her life, Y/N felt herself wanting to do her part to make the galaxy a better, safer place. She looked back up at Leia and Mothma and nodded her head.

 

“I’m in.”


End file.
